This time of year is when my weather optimism starts to poke its head out. On December 21 (the winter solstice), the sun rises at 8:38AM and sets at 4:32PM, giving Calgary a day that has all of 7:54:16 daylight. Oh joy. But, by the second week of February we’re crossing over into 10 hours of daylight! Booyah. Anyhow, these burgers happened after a bike ride home. I had leftover refried beans in the fridge, and I figured I could turn them into bean burgers.
Bean burgers are often awful; the menu says “tender”, but you end up with what seems to be a giant scoop of bad hummus in a bun. And then it squishes into bits when you try to eat it, it doesn’t taste like much, and it’s so soggy that the buns deteriorates and falls apart.
These burgers are different. Chewy, flavourful, and a little bit smokey. The mix of black beans and chickpeas, and the fact that you start with homemade refried beans (not canned!) means you’ve got texture, too.
Use a 2″ biscuit cutter to form perfectly round burgers!
I like to top the burgers with smoked cheddar cheese to add awesome smokey, grilled-esque flavour. I serve them on a toasted roll with chipotle mayo, ketchup, and sour cream. Lettuce, tomatoes, and other such garnish would be great, too, but I didn’t have any. Oh well.
Mexican Bean Burgers
2 cups homemade refried beans
1 egg
¾ cup breadcrumbs, or as neededOil, for frying
5 slices smoked cheddar cheese
5 buns, to serveMix the egg into the refried beans, and stir in breadcrumbs until you have a stiff paste.
Form 5 burgers from the paste.
Fry over medium heat. Melt a slice of smoked cheddar cheese on the top of the burger.
Serve on toasted buns with the condiments of your choice.
Thank you for the tempting recipe! I will try it very soon!
Elle
These look great and so simple! I make a quadruple batch of a really elaborate (AKA crazy long list of ingredients) bean/lentil/seed/nut burgers all the time, but these look like a great alternative for when my freezer stash is gone and I’m short on time. FYI, I’ve had great success using a flax egg (1 Tbs ground flax + 3 Tbs water, whipped with a frother or whisked excessively) for holding veggie burgers together. I’m vegan, but it could be good to know if you’re ever out of eggs or just want a nutritional boost!
Ooh! Can I try your recipe? They sound super, super good! And I’ll definitely try your flax substitute if I’m ever out 🙂
Absolutely! I’ll e-mail you the recipe with my notes (from my many trials at perfecting them). Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Thanks, Sarah! I can’t wait to try them 🙂
Hi Marie! I thought I would let you know I’m having a great sale in my Etsy shop! Trying to get some older listings moving. I have everything on for 30% off. I am currently stocking snowflake shaped soap on a rope, and chocolate flavoured cocoa butter lip balm! I don’t think you will mind the chocolate flavour it is an organic flavour oil that I purchased from Earth’s Armomatique in Edmonton (very cool store) that stays in the refrigerator. I only use a couple of drops since most of the flavour comes from the cocoa butter! My Etsy shop name is SweetHeartBodyCare. When you search for it you have to enter it just like that, no spaces. Just thought you’d like to know!
Cheers,
Ruth
Thanks for letting me know, Ruth!